Formations and Tactics under Martinez: The 3-5-2?

[steken1]

'No other club around the world has the privilege of playing at Goodison Park.'

[video=youtube;kE0pwJ5PMDg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE0pwJ5PMDg[/video]

 

[davek]

'No other club around the world has the privilege of playing at Goodison Park.'

[video=youtube;kE0pwJ5PMDg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE0pwJ5PMDg[/video]

 

[steken1]

He says all the right things. I'm going to be gutted if it doesn't work out.

 

[Coalman]

We have been the better team in all three league games. With better finishing and a fully sighted ref we could easily have nine points out of nine. The thing I keep hearing - from the likes of Ratcliffe - is that the slow tempo is the issue. I do not see a huge change in tactics from what we had been doing under DM in recent seasons ie both full backs get in advance of ther pivots < wide midfielders> and either over or "Under" lap. None of the forward players look sharp currently. Coaching/tactics is ultimately about players producing the goods. Locateth ye the onion bag asap...

 

[bluejock]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spor...s/roberto-martinez-keen-create-unique-5845908

Speaks a good game.

He's immensely likeable and I Really hope it all comes together. He's going to need time and patience.

 

[Coalman]

Word bro. Now being panned for being too positive by several. I despair.

 

[neil999]

We have been the better team in all three league games. With better finishing and a fully sighted ref we could easily have nine points out of nine. The thing I keep hearing - from the likes of Ratcliffe - is that the slow tempo is the issue. I do not see a huge change in tactics from what we had been doing under DM in recent seasons ie both full backs get in advance of ther pivots < wide midfielders> and either over or "Under" lap. None of the forward players look sharp currently. Coaching/tactics is ultimately about players producing the goods. Locateth ye the onion bag asap...

the slow tempo can be frustrating to watch, but i dont beleive it creates less chances - lump up to fellaini, sometimes this caused a chance and sometimes it didnt and the opposition got the ball back...we are controlling the game more now,i think it can seem slower as we have more possesion than we are used to

 

[LinekersLegs]

Some of the other threads are talking about which youngsters are breaking through in midfield or which strikers we might buy and it got me thinking about the 3-5-2 again.

Martinez talked up its benefits late last year on BBC 5 live (think it was one of the Friday night previews) and we have seen it at the tail end of the QPR game.

I'm convinced that with Martinez is going to give it try next season after a full preseason, especially now the players trust him and have improved their passing game.

Anyone else think it is likely and care to guess what changes it will make to our current/future squad?

 

[Allezfan]

Some of the other threads are talking about which youngsters are breaking through in midfield or which strikers we might buy and it got me thinking about the 3-5-2 again.

Martinez talked up its benefits late last year on BBC 5 live (think it was one of the Friday night previews) and we have seen it at the tail end of the QPR game.

I'm convinced that with Martinez is going to give it try next season after a full preseason, especially now the players trust him and have improved their passing game.

Anyone else think it is likely and care to guess what changes it will make to our current/future squad?

I said all summer that the formation is there to fix problems we don't have. Namely the two main things it does is free full backs from defensive duties and allows them to get forward more, (which isn't an issue because we already have the best attacking full backs in the league without having to bring in a third centre back) and it allows a team with two top strikers and no good wingers to play two up top without getting overrun in midfield (and we don't really have a second striker good enough to start, while we do have wingers I'd like to see play). For a team that lacks width and has strength in the middle it makes sense, for a team with attacking full backs, exciting wingers like kev and gerard and only one top striker, it doesn't because you're basically giving up the flanks in order to control the middle.

And I maintained then, as I do now, that Martinez is too smart to pick a formation that doesn't suit the players he has available to him.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Like your reasoning Artetafan, any idea why Martinez tried it in the QPR game?

 

[Allezfan]

Like your reasoning Artetafan, any idea why Martinez tried it in the QPR game?

Only for the last 10 minutes, iirc.

 

[toffeestillidie]

I said all summer that the formation is there to fix problems we don't have. Namely the two main things it does is free full backs from defensive duties and allows them to get forward more, (which isn't an issue because we already have the best attacking full backs in the league without having to bring in a third centre back) and it allows a team with two top strikers and no good wingers to play two up top without getting overrun in midfield (and we don't really have a second striker good enough to start, while we do have wingers I'd like to see play). For a team that lacks width and has strength in the middle it makes sense, for a team with attacking full backs, exciting wingers like kev and gerard and only one top striker, it doesn't because you're basically giving up the flanks in order to control the middle.

And I maintained then, as I do now, that Martinez is too smart to pick a formation that doesn't suit the players he has available to him.

I agree with this, and I think that our formation when attacking takes a similar shape to the 3-5-2, when coleman and Baines both get forward, Jagielka and Distin usually spread out and Barry drops into the middle. I've also seen Barry drop back to cover left back several times, I can't recall the exact mechanics of how this works.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Only for the last 10 minutes, iirc.

Yes it was at the end and we were 4 nil up but seem to remember it lead to us being very, very shaky at the back.

 

[JordanianEmbassy]

The team adjusts formation throughout the game anyway. Often when Baines and Coleman are pushed forward Barry will drop back and so we temporarily have a back 3 of Distin-Barry-Jageilka.

edit: Doh! Just seen that someone beat me to it.

 

[Allezfan]

The team adjusts formation throughout the game anyway. Often when Baines and Coleman are pushed forward Barry will drop back and so we temporarily have a back 3 of Distin-Barry-Jageilka.

Yeah, exactly. You can do that without losing the attacking midfielder 'Barkley' role that isn't there in a 3-4-3 or the wingers that aren't there in a 3-5-2.

Formations are more flexable than people make out, you can play a 4-5-1 in both attacking and defensive ways and we can cover for the fbs being pressed up without needing to replace an attacking midfielder with a 3rd Cb.

The 4-5-1 suits us and I see no reason to switch unless we change a lot of the squad.